Fluid-feeding apparatus.



PATENTED SEPT. 18, 1906.

J. G. W. GRETH.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 7, 1905.

2 sums-sum 1.

FLUID FEEDING APPARKTUS.

No. 831,059. PATENTED SEPT. 18, 1906. J. 0. W. GRETH.

FLUID FEEDING APPARATUS. APPLIOATI'ON FILED AUG. 7, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FLUID-FEEDING APPARATUS- Specification of Letters Patent.-

Patented Sept. 18, 1906.

Application filed August 7, 1905. Serial No. 272.998.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN C. W. GRETH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Fluid-Feedmg Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to means for proportionately feeding several liquids simultaneouslyas, for example, in water-purifying apparatus where a chemical solution used is fed in definite proportion to the volume of raw water taken into the apparatus; and it refers particularly to a system of automatic siphons for this purpose.

While the invention is equally applicable to many other purposes, I have herein illustrated its use as adapted to water-purifying apparatus, and in such instance the primary object is to cause a definite quantity ofthe liquid reagent to be fed into and mixed with a definite uantity of raw water at a definite rate and 0th of such feeding actions to begin and cease automatically.

A further object is to provide for easy and accurate regulation of the amount of chemical reagent supplied and the proportions of the liquids and avoid the use of valves.

A still further object is to arrange a main siphon to automatically feed the raw water. and several supplementary siphons for the chemicals which themselves operate or are operated by the main siphon, the said opera,

tions being either governed by a measured amount of water to be emptied or by a measured amount of the chemical solution, as may be desired.

These and other advantages to hereinafter appear areattained by the apparatus illustrated as applied to water-purifying apparatus in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a diagram of the simple siphons and vessels for operating them shown in section. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a modified means for breaking the siphons when the water-tank is near] gram showing sti main siphon is broken by the supplementary siphon. Fig. 4 is an outline side elevation of part of. a complete waterpurifying lant,

showing the use of my invention to fee from a twin set of tanks and siphons governing the flow by the volume of a water-tank. Fig. 5 is an outline side elevation and partial secemptied. Fig. 3 is a dia' 1 another form, in which the tion of another form of apparatus in which the siphons are governed by the volume of one of the solution-tanks.

In water-purifying apparatus as herein shown for illustration it is desirable to lead the water to be purified into a mixing-tank and add from time to time or constantly a definite quantity of some chemical reagent, such as lime-hydrate or soda, or both, in order to precipitate the impurities, after which the water flows into a settling-tank or filter. It

has been customary to approximately measure the amount of the chemical by complicated valve and float arrangements, and has been very difiicult or impossible to gage it accuratel I overcome these difficulties by the use 0 proportionate siphons for feeding. Thus in Fig. 1 is shown a feed which is not only accurate but entirely automatic. A supply-pipe 7, which may be varied in capacity by the valve 8, empties into a receiver 9, which is emptied, as soon as filled by a siphon 10, leading the raw water into a mixing-tank 12. It starts operation when the water-level reaches the apex 11 and will be broken and cease to operate when the level has fallen below the mouth of the short leg, admitting air therein, The receiver 9 is of'course emptied more rapidly than the inflow through the supply-pipe 7, which is smaller than 10. At the same time as the raw waterflows in the chemical solution is fed to it in definite quantity by means of a supplementary siphon 13, which is of a pipe considerably smaller than the siphon 10 and draws from the small tank 14, whichma be in'the meanwhile kept at a constant leve or head by means of an automatic float-valve 15, controlling the pipe through which the milk of lime is fed from a mixing-tank 16. It will be seen that this siphon is started when siphon 10 begins to flow by reason of the relief of atmospheric pressure on the adjoining end of the small siphon 13. As the flow continues the fluid in the tank 14 will be forced through the siphon 13, a pd after being once started it will flow at a constant rate until the water-level in the tank 9 dropsbelow the lower end of the siphon 10 and admits air to break the siphon 10, also reaching the siphon 13 and breaking this, so as to stop the flow of chemical at the same time as the cessation of raw-water flow. The mixed lime andwater may then be conducted from tank 12 to a reaction or settling tank, as

2 chemical-tank, and in asfwillbe understood. In

I also reak the lar may be desired, the rest of the apparatus not eing essential to illustrate my invention.

In some cases, especially when the maln outlet-siphon for the water-tank is composed of small piping where capillary action has someeflect, it is desirable to provide special means for breaking the siphon quickly at the proper time, and for this urpose the arrange 'ment of Fig, 2 is sometimes used. In this the main siphon is tapped at its apex by a small pipe 17, whose bend 18 is above the apex of the siphon 10- and whose lower end is above the lower end of the inner leg. The supplementary siphon 19 may be arranged as before, and it may be provided with the valve 20, b which the amount and proportion of the cliemical solution maybe easily regulated. In this device it will be seen when the waterlevel in the tank falls below the mouth of the small pipe 17a'ir will be admitted at the apex of the main siphon 10* and stop the flow immediately in the whole apparatus, both legsdischarging at once, and not de ending on the expansion of the entrapped air, as usual insiphons.

I The supplementary-siphon pipe 21 may be level of the inner short leg if it be smaller than the main siphon, and in order to prevent any flow inward through the small siphon at the beginning of the operation I provide a' check-valve or small flap-valve 22, as in Fig. 't

5, which will allow the water to flow in forward direction in the supplementary siphon, but not backward. In the above forms the vessel. 26. The weir-box tapped into the main siphon above the lower slphons are broken by exhausting the watersupply.

When desired, the breaking of both siphons may be accomplished by the exhaustion of a,

fixed amount of the reaction liquid in the Fig. 3 I have shown a convenient form of the apparatus for this purpose. The main. siphon 10 having started to.flow will continue as lon "is any solution in the feeding-t 14; when-this is emptied air will enterinto the p 24 and by this-means ot only break 24 tapsit abo'vet e mouth of its shorter leg, this instance the supplementary siphbn 24 when much the smaller may tap the larger siphon at" any point between its apex and the mouth ofits inner leg. In .the apparatus of Fig. 2 the sinallersiphon may be made of any desired In Fig. 4I-have shown a )0 size, and, if desired, may be as large as the mam siphon.

very compactform of water-purifying apparatus designed to useimy invention for feeding the chemicals. The diagramrepresents in section a large settling-tank 25', inside of which is placed a mixing vessel 26, which empties into tank 25, and upon the top of this may be thesmall' siphon, but e siphon 10, since the pipe 'celven and is in which the i kept near the surface-by 10 continues the soda solution and stop the ssnose placed a soda-mix g tank 27 and a feeding; tank 28 therefor and also a lime-mixing tan 29 and a feeding-tank 30 therefor. i The raw water will enter through the feed-pi e 8, as before, .and its valve 31 is regulatecl in the amount of its opening by means of attachment to the float 32 in the settling-tank 25, so as to cause the flow in the feed-pipe to be the same as that'ofthe flow out of the settling-tank 25, which is led away for use or conveniently to a filter, as may be desired. The pipe 8 empties into a weir-box 33, which is provided with which-may be offixed size and empties into a pipe35, leading directly into the mixing 33 also has a smaller regulable weir' 36, raw water through the pipe 37v into the lefthand compartment 38 ofthe receiver. This is provided with a main siphon 10 toempty it into the mixing vessel 26, and at the same time it carries in the necessary amount of soda, solution through the supplementary siphon 13, which may be in any of the forms heretofore described. Exactly similarly, on

empties into the turn emptied 'by the main siphon 10, feeding at the same time the lime solution from tank 30 by means of the supplementary siphon 13 In this apparatus e siphons are governed by the charge of water'or the relative capacities of the weirs and the siphons 10 and 10 In Fig. 5 an other form of such apparatus is shown, especially adapted for intermittent systems in eed-pipe is small and empties into a small receiving-tank 42, 'which is emptied by means of a siphon 10, which is much larger than the feed-pipe, The long leg of the siphon 10 has two branches 43 and 44. The branch 43 leads to the a large central weir 34,,

which feeds the p the other side, a regulable weir 39 by pipe 40 compartment 41 of the remlxing-tank 45,

and the other branch 44 leadsinto the mixing-tank 46. Both flexible pipes 58 and '58, whose mouthsare floats '59 59, and they empty 'into a filter or storage tank through pipe 60. The branches 43 and 44 are provided with valves, as are pipes -'58 and 589, and thus the tanks 45'and 46 may be used in alternation. As the flow may be drawn 1n' through siphon- 48, which has a valve, so that the amount is easily regulated and the supply-tank 47 is kept at a-constant level] On the other side the lime-solution tank 50 -is provided with a siphon 49 to empty it automatically and has also means to empty an exact measured amount of the chemical and then break all of the siphons flow of water. The lime-feedm pipe'57 has at its lowerend a slidin va ve 5-1, operated by a lever 52, whose end 53 is flattened and partly covers the mouth of the siphon-tube 49. A rod 56 is-attached of these are emptied by .siphon tapping 1t on the don level to lever 52 .and has an adjustable button 54 to limit the range of the sliding float 55 on the rod. The rising of the float to its limit closes valve 51. As the solution is fed out through pipe 49 the float comes to rest on lever 52; but its weight is not quite enough to overcome the friction of valve 51 to open it plus the under the emptied an air enters pipe 49, relieving the water-suction, the lever 52 falls and opens valve 51 to refill the tank 50. The siphon 49 meanwhile has stop ed and also broken siphons 10 and 48. It will be seen that by this means an exact measure of the chemical solution may be emptied each time and with it an exact measure of the raw water and of the other chemical solution, and the frequency of the discharges to replenish the settling or mixing tanks may be accurately overned by adjusting the inflow at the pipeeeding tank 42. In the case of the apparatus of Fig. 4 the amount of raw water discharged at each time is constant and the amount of the chemical solutions may be governed accordin ly, while the frequency of discharge is regulated by the valve 31 and the relation of the amounts fed throu h pipes 35 and through the receivers 28 an 41 are governed by the size of opening of the weirs 36 and 39. All the actions in each case are entirely automatic. The various advantages of the devices will readily occur to those familiar with the art.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its-use, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is the following:

1. The'c'ombination with several vessels, of aoompound siphon having a common long leg and several short legs forming siphons in the respective vessels whereby the flow from each vessel is in fixed proportion, and the junctions of the siphons being at such height that stopping the flow through one of them stops the others.

2. In apparatus for feeding liquids in roportion from several vessels, a main sip on for one vessel and a branch siphon thereon extending into another vessel and joining the main siphon above the liquid-level in the latter vessel, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. A compound siphon having a single long leg an several branching short legs communicating therewith below the apex, and means tofeed a redetermined quantity to each and stop their flow by breaking one of the siphons at its mouth.

4. A main siphon and'a supplementary leg above the of the mouth of ,the s ort leg and a check-valve at the inlet from the supplementary siphon.

5. A feeding device comprising in combisuction on the end of lever 52 pipe; but when the tank 50 isnation with a supply-tank of definite quantity of fluid and a feeding-tank of fluid at constant level below the supply-level, a main siphon in the supply-tank and a siphon in the feeding-tank joining the main siphonQon its long leg, whereby the definite quantity flowing through the main siphon automatically feeds a definite quantity from the feedingtank through said supplementary siphon, and flow is stopped by the main siphon.

6. A supply-tank and means to fill it at a certain rate, an automatic siphon to empty the tank at a more rapid rate, a feed-tan and means to kee' fluid therein at constant level and a supp ementary feeding-siphon therein commumcating with the long leg of the main siphon, whereby the feed is started and stopped automatically by the main siphon and is definite in amount'and rate of 7. In fluid-feeding apparatus the combination -with a supply tank and adjustable means to introduce a definite quantity of water therein at a definite rate, of a main siphon arranged therein to empty it at a more rapid rate, a chemical-solution tank feeding-siphon arranged to take from the same and said siphon communicating with the main siphon on it's long leg,whereby the automatic starting and stopping of the main siphon automatically starts and stops the tary siphon and the waterand solution are fed in definite adjustable quantities at definite rates.

8. The combination with two liquid-containing vessels of a siphon in each, adapted to empty it, and said siphons communicating at a point above the level in one of the ves sels, whereby the higher siphon may start the lower and may itself be broken by stoppage of the flow in the lower siphon.

9. The combination with a water-supply tank and a chemical-solution tank of amain siphon emptying saidsupply tank and a con nected supplementary siphon to feed from the solution-tank, and one of the said feedsiphons adapted to break the other siphon at a definite time.

10. The combination with two vessels for liquid, of a main siphon in one of them adapted to draw out a definite quantity and then break by exposure of the short leg and a supplementar siphon in the other vessel tapping the ong leg of the main si hon and adapted to be started and stoppe thereby. 11. In combination, awater-supply vessel and a chemical-supply vessel, means in the latter to keep a constant level, a siphon therein, a siphon in the water vessel adapted to empty it and then break on its inside leg, and the siphon from the chemical vessel communicating with its long leg, whereby the flow of chemical is started an stopped by the definite flow from the water vesse 12.. The combination of two vessels, a

and a valved supplemenv liquid are fed fr In testimony gned my name in the subscribed witnesses.

. JOHN o. W. GRETH. Witnesses F. E. GArTHEn; F. W. H. CLAY.

siphon adapted to empty the one vessel and a; communicating siphon inthe other adapted I si to be started and stopped by the flow from the first vessel through its em tying siphon, vwhereby definite proportional quantitles of om the two vessels autopresence of the two matically.

whereof I have hereunto 

